Printing plate lock-up device



Feb. 27, 1951 J R. PARRISH PRINTING PLATE LOCK-UP DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 6, 1948 INVENTOR Feb. 27, 1951 J R. PARRISH PRINTING PLATE LOCK-UP DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1948 Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES OFFICE PRINTINGPLATE LOCKLUIP DEVICE J Russell Parrish, 'Des-l Moines,-.;Iowa,'- assign'orto Meredith Publishing Company, I' Des Moines, ilowmla corporation .of Iowa Application' 'Marclffi, 1948, Serial No. 13,411

inlaims. 1 (01. 101-51318) a. This invention'relates'to aprinting-plate lockup devicefor high speed. rotary printing presses.

The. standard.printing plate lock-uprwhich has heretofore been --usedon high a speed printing presses, consisted :of 2,2:b8CkStOD'b31 against which thewtrailingr'edge ofethe plate is forced. The backstop bar as well as side plate clamps or vhooks, have been secured to -.the rotating cylinder-end the -baekstopzbarr pushes the :plate to rotate it. The standard platesare curved andare beveled at: their d es -witha a 45 rang1e,. and theiplate hooks-.and-qbackstopbars are provided with... corresponding? bevels to a positively, grip.- the printing plates.

:The direction of. rotationissuch that; as stated above, the trailingedge of theplateis pushedby the backstop bar, and ithe leading: edge. of: the plate is. not. clamped. -This. construction has the disadvantage that, a as .-the impression cylinder contacts the leading edge of theplate; the impact tendsto bucklethercurved plate insuchamanner that v the center portiomof the plate -is raised from the cylinder, -.-thus causing the r plate to hump. As the impression-cylinder progresses toward the cylinder of the plate -the hump tends to i move back toward the trailing edge, but at some point it is. forced-to snap down against the cylinder, thus causing plates tocrackafter several hundred thousand impressions.

Since,- in large printing. establishmentsa plate maybe-utilized for printing a .mi-l-lionorrmore impressions; and since the platesarequite expensive, it is obviousthat.cracKing-Of-the plates. isa seriousdisadvantage.

.It has been. hereto-fore suggested to .1 pull the plateson. the cylinder, rather-than pushing them by a'backstop bar. Howevennone. ofthe mechanisms utilized for 'p-ullin flthe; plates have been satisfactory in all respectsand, furthermore; have not provided for the necessary. adjustmentslaidally and circumferentially:of the cylinder,-. or on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

It is an objectof'i't-heinvention, thereforeQto provide an improvedv lock-up "device for attachment to the leadingedge of impression plates on high speed rotary printing presses.

It is also an objector the inventiontoprovide axial anducircuniferential adjustmentrofthe printing plate with. alockeuplde'vice-whichengages the leading eclgeof ltheplate.

It is a further object of 'Qthe invention. to provide an improved locks-up Ldeviceiior pulling the plate rather than pushing it. I

It is an additional object .flthe invention to provide a lock-up device .Yfor a printing plate 12 which eliminates the possibility of humping, and thus insures 'longerlli'fe for the'plates.

It isi also I an'object of the invention to provide -alock up device. of the type described which I is very sturdyand whichmaybe used with standard printing plates.

With? these and-other objects in View, the invention: consists in the? construction, arrangement and combination or. the various parts of my device' whereby the objects :contemplated are attameaas hereinafterrmore fully set forth,pointed outin the claims and illustrated in I the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1? is a partial. elevational view of a" plate cylinder provided with'a-preferred embodiment of the improved lo'ck=up device;

Figure 2-is asectional view of the plate cylinder and plates taken-on line"2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure-Ms anend'view of the improvedlock up device; aportion'of the plate cylinder being shown;

Figure 4is a partially exploded perspective view of the *lock u-p devicey wi'tha portion of the plate cylinder being shown;

"Figure 5 is-a sectional view of the device taken on line 5 5 of Figure'3 and s Figure 6 is a sectional view of the device taken online fi fi of Figure 3.

Referringspecifically to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention, numeral l l designatesa conventional printin press cylinder on which "are-secured printing plates !2. The standard impression cylinder II has end grooves I 3; in"vvhicir standard" Side plate hooks or clamps [4 are disposed. Thehooks' l4 adjacent the ends of the cylinder aremOvedsLXially of the'cylinder by an'ordinary screw.

"Split hooks I 6 are-provided between the plates 12, and aremovable ingrooves i5'provided in'the cylinder ll. Asl poi-ntedrout above, the edges of the plates f2 areb'Veldzat an. angle of and thei'clampsl l and 16 are, vlikewise, beveledto closely engage thebeveled edges of theplates l2.

"The printing cylinders "l l are also normally providedwitharectangulargroove 11, at spaced locations in the peripherythereof. These grooves were Lheretofore .-used Sfor the backstop -plate, Wllibhllhas tbeen dispensed with in accordance withthis. invention. Tapped holes l8..are provided inthesurface' of.-the grooves I! and extend into the cylinder: l l.

A base-plate I .9, which is preferably rectangular in. shape, is provided with holes 2l,=which are adapted to register withrthetapped holes 18 :in the cylinder-1|. .-'I'hebase;aplate l9 isalso=pro- 3 vided with a plurality of apertures 22 adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof, for the reception of upwardly extending flat screws 23.

A pair of side stop guide bars 24 and 2) are provided and are formed generally in the shape of an angle. Each of the guide bars is provided with a hole 26 adjacent the end thereof, for the reception of flat headed screws 2?. The holes 23 are adapted to register with the holes 2| in the base plate is, and with the tapped holes la in the cylinder l l. The holes .26, however, are sufficiently large that the heads of the screws 21 may pass freely therethrough, and, actually, the screws 2'! are utilized to retain the base plate ill in position. on the cylinder ii. The holes 2i in the base plate It are tapered to receive the heads of the screws t will be noted that the shape of the guide bars 23 and 25 provides coaxially extending shoulders or surfaces 28 and 29, respectively. A traclzway is thus formed by the angle stop guide bars 24 and 25 and base plate l9. An adjustable bar is generally i dicated by the numeral 3| and includes upwardly extending square projections or studs and 3.3. The Square studs 32 are provided with a central opening 34, ior purpose hereinafter described. t will be noted from Figure 1 that four of the studs 52 are pr vided and three of the studs 33 are provided for each plate. It will also be noted that the adjustable bar 3| is provided with recesses 36 adjacent the bottom thereof, partially in alignment with the openings in. the studs 32.

An adjusting stud 35 is positioned within the opening 35 in the proection 32, and extends downwardly into a portion of the r-cess 30. The adjusting stud 35 is provided with a slot at its upper extremity, for the reception of a screw driver or other tool, for the adjustment hereinafter described. The bottom of the adjusting stud 35 is provided with worm threads A stud 38 is contained within a circular portion of the recess 36, and is provided at one end thereof with a worm gear 3?, having its teeth in engagement with the worm 36 on the adjusting stud 35. Threads 39 are provided on the other end of the stud A rectangular adjusting nut of substantial length is generally indicated at 4!, and is pro vided with a tapped hole centrally thereof. The threads 39 of the stud 38 are adapted to cooperate with the threads in the tapped hole 32, so that the nut 1| may be moved closer to, or further from, the adjustable bar The adjustable bar as shown in Figure 4, is provided with a forwardly extending portion It will. be noted from the arrows in Figures 2 and e that the cylinder is travelling in a clockwise direction, as viewed in those figures.

The printing plates 12 are provided with seven square holes adjacent the leading edge thereof, which are adapted to slide over the studs or pegs 32 and 33, so that the plate l2 will be pulled by the pegs and 3 3 as the cylinder ii rotates.

As shown in the drawings, the plates i2 are of substantially uniform cross section opposite the printing surfaces. the cylinder opposite the printing surfaces of the plates iii are solid. assembled in the following manner. First, the side stop guide bars E l and 25 are assembled to the base plate 59 by means of the upwardly ertending screws The worm carrying stud 35 and the worm gear carrying stud 35 are then placed into position on the adjustable bar 3|. The worm carrying stud or screw 35 is-then re- Furthermore, the portions of The lock-up device is tained in position by attaching a plate 44 to the adjustable bar 3! by means of screws 45. As shown in Figure 6, the plate 44 is provided with a suitable aperture for the bottom of the stud 35.

The sliding nuts 4| are then threaded on the ends of the worm gear shaft 38. The adjustable bar 3|, which is now assembled, is slid into position from the end of the assembled guide bars and plates. The resultant sub-assembly is then disposed in the grooves i1 and is secured thereto by means of the screws 27. It is obvious that the heads of the screws 21 must not interfere with the movement of the adjustable bar 3| or the sliding nuts 4!.

The pegs 32 and 33 extend above the cylinder surface and will protrude through the holes 43 at the forward edges oi the printing plates i2. Since the adjustable bar 3! may slide freely, the plates i2 may be adjusted in a direction parallel with the axis of the cylinder by adjusting the plate hooks i l and I6 along the curved edges of the printing plate. Circumferential adjustment is made by the use of the worm and worm gear arrangement. When a screw driver is inserted through the holes in the studs 32, the worm 3 will be turned, which will in turn rotate worm 3i and stud 38 to move the adjustable bar 3| either direction around the surface of the linder, since the sliding nut 4| will remain in l. gagement with the shoulder 28 on the rear 5 -.de bar 2c. The pegs 32 and 33 then move i2 circumferentially of the cylinder,

he plates since the pegs are projecting through the holes 43 in the plates. The combination of the axial and circumferential adjustments obviously afiords adjustment of the plates IE on a bias with respect to the cylinder H. It is to be noted that the pegs 3,2 and 33 do not extend above the main surface of the plates 12. Since the plates are being pulled by the studs 32 and 33, any force exerted on the bar 3| tends to move the nuts 4| against shoulder 28 on the rear guide bar 24. The side clamps I and i6, obviously, prevent any axial movement of the adjustable bar 3| after the clamps are in position.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided an improved lock-up device for high speed rotary presses.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim as my invention: p

1. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate having a printing surface to the rota mg cylinder of a rotarv press said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, being of substantially uniiorncross section. opposite said printing surface, saic. device including an adjusting bar having projection thereon adapted to extend into the ap 2. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate to the rotating cylinder of a rotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, said device including an adjusting bar having a projection thereon adapted to extend into, the aperture in said plate, opposed spaced angle members secured to said cylinder and forming a trackway having opposed spaced coaxially extending surfaces, said trackways affording sliding .mpvement of said adjusting bar coaxially of the cylinder and means for moving the adjusting bar 'circumferentially of the cylinder, said adjusting bar having projections thereon extending apertures in the leading edge of said plate, said coaxial and circumferential movement affording adjustment of the plate on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

3. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate to the rotating cylinder of arotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, said device including an adjusting bar having a projection thereon adapted to extend into the aperture in said plate, opposed spaced angle members secured to said cylinder and forming a trackway having opposed spaced coaxially extending urfaces, said trackways affording sliding movement of said adjusting bar coaxially of the cylinder and means for moving the adjusting bar circumferentially of the cylinder, said adjusting bar including means for engaging said plate, said means for adjusting the bar circumferentially of said cylinder including a member secured to the bar and movable relative thereto, said membe fjabutting one of the coaxial surfaces of the trackway, said coaxial and circumferential movement affording adjustment of the plate on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

4. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate to the rotating cylinder of ,a rotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, said device including an adjusting bar having a projection thereon adapted to extend into the aperture in said plate, opposed spaced angle members secured to said cylinder and forming a trackway having opposed spaced coaxially extending surfaces, said trackways affording slidinggnovement of said adjusting bar coaxially of the cylinder, means for moving the adjusting bar circumferentially of the cylinder, said adjusting bar including means for engaging said plate and a base plate secured to said spaced angle members, said coaxial and circumferential movement affording adjustment of the plate on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

5. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate to the rotating cylinder of a rotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge,lsaid device including an adjusting bar having aprojection thereon adapted to extend into theap erture in said plate, opposed spaced angle members secured to said cylinder and forming a trackway having opposed spaced coaxially extending surfaces, said trackways affording sliding movement of said adjusting bar coaxially of the cylinder, means for moving the adjusting bar circumferentially of the cylinder, said adjusting bar including means for engaging said plate and a base plate secured to said spaced angle members, said base plate, angle members and adjusting bar being insertable as a unit into a coaxial groove in said cylinder, said coaxial and circumferential movement affording adjustment of the plate on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

6. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate having a printing surface to the rotating cylinder of a rotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, said plate being of substantially uniform cross section opposite said printing surface, said device comprising a member having a projection thereon, means for securing the member to the cylinder, said projection adapted to extend into the aperture in said plate and means afiording adjustment of said member coaxially and circumferentially of said cylinder, said projection having no portion thereof extendin above the highest point of said plate, said coaxial and circumferential movement affording adjustment of the plate on a bias with respect to the cylinder.

7. A lock-up device for securing a printing plate to the rotating cylinder of a rotary press, said plate having a leading and a trailing edge with an aperture in the leading edge, said device including an adjusting bar havinga projection thereon adapted to extend into the aperture in said plate, opposed spaced angle members secured to said cylinder and forming a trackway having opposed spaced coaxially extending surfaces, said adjusting bar being slidable coaxially of the cylinder in said trackways, means for moving the adjusting bar circumferentially of the cylinder, said adjusting bar including means for engaging said plate, a base plate secured to said spaced angle members, said base plate, angle members and adjusting bar being insertable as a unit into a coaxial groove in said cylinder, means for securing said base plate to said angles with the adjusting bar therebetween and means for securing the resultant assembly to said cylinder.

J RUSSELL PARRISH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 572,695 Cottrell Dec. 8, 1896 1,958,902 Scott May 15, 1934 2,047,364 Foster July 14, 1936 2,236,230 Worthington Mar. 25, 1941 

